Republican members of the Washington County delegation to the General Assembly think Gov. O’Malley is delaying the tough decisions with his proposed fiscal year 2012 budget, writes Andrew Schotz of the Hagerstown Herald Mail.

The state still hasn’t done some of the basic things to cut spending, Carroll County’s delegation says, such as eliminating a rule requiring the use of the prevailing wage in school construction projects, which artificially raises the price of projects. Ryan Marshall writes the story for the Carroll County Times.

ROSECROFT SOLD: Penn National Gaming Inc. bought the embattled Rosecroft Raceway at a bankruptcy auction Friday for $10.25 million, and it plans to add slot machines there. The sale is subject to federal bankruptcy court approval, writes Ryan Sharrow of the Baltimore Business Journal.

But expect Penn National to face stiff opposition from state lawmakers for its plans to get slot machines at Rosecroft, reports Rachel Bernstein in the Daily Record. Del. Dereck Davis, of the Economic Matters Committee, said Penn told him in 2007 that it would be interested in Rosecroft with or without slots.

UNION CONTRACT: State workers have until Monday to vote on the second union contract that enforces the controversial “fair share” law, allowing state government unions to require non-union members to pay them a service fee, writes Megan Poinski for MarylandReporter.com. The law passed in 2009.

NO WELFARE CARDS AT SLOTS: Two Anne Arundel delegates want to prohibit the use of welfare cards at slot machine casinos, the latest attempt at limiting the social fallout from Maryland’s foray into gambling. The state already prohibits check-cashing and the direct use of credit and debit cards in slot machines, reports Liam Farrell of the Annapolis Capital.

PONY UP FOR SLOTS SIGNS: A man gave an Anne Arundel County prosecutor a check for more than $8,000 Friday to pay for signs supporting a slots parlor at Arundel Mills mall that were stolen last fall, a move that his lawyer said was not an admission of guilt, Andrea Siegel reports for the Sun.

DON’T PROP RACING: The Annapolis Capital editorial board says it’s time that Maryland concede that horse-racing – though undeniably important to its history – is a fading form of recreation that can’t be propped up forever at public expense.

PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY: In a story somehow missed on Friday, the date for next year’s presidential primary in Maryland is up in the air, but it won’t be in February, that’s for sure, Alan Brody writes in the Gazette.

WINE SHIPMENTS: Lawmakers filed legislation Friday in the General Assembly that would permit direct shipping of wine to consumers. House Bill 234 and Senate Bill 248 would allow wineries and retailers to ship wine directly to buyers so long as they are permitted to do so, Scott Graham of the Baltimore Business Journal reports.

GAME CONCUSSIONS: House Economic Matters Committee Chairman Dereck Davis is sponsoring a bill requiring that young athletes suspected of suffering a concussion during a game or practice be removed and barred from returning until they are cleared by a physician, Jeff Newman reports for SoMaNews.com.

SMALL BIZ BOOST: Small business in Maryland is getting a big boost from a state plan called “Maryland Made Easy” designed to create a more business-friendly environment, according to Gov. O’Malley, Denise Cabrera writes for Patch.com.

JACOBS ON GOP AGENDA: New Senate Republican leader Nancy Jacobs, who replaced Alan Kittleman in the leadership post, sits down with Len Lazarick of MarylandReporter.com to discuss the GOP agenda in the State House.

ANNAPOLIS SUMMIT: Last Friday on Marc Steiner’s show on WEAA-FM, Steiner talked with Eastern Shore farmers, then recaps the 2011 Annapolis Summit with Gov. O’Malley, House Speaker Michael Bush and Senate President Mike Miller.

ROAD TAXES FOR ROADS: Highway user money, raised from local drivers in the form of fuel tax, motor vehicle registration, titling and other fees, needs to be used on major road repairs, the Frederick News Post editorial board writes. Instead, it is being used as a slush fund by the governor to balance the state’s wildly out-of-balance budget.

O’MALLEY BLASTS PEPCO: In a letter to its CEO, O’Malley has blasted Pepco, saying he is outraged and calling the company’s power restoration rate after last week’s winter weather “dismal,” Andrew Mollenbeck and Gary Emerling report for WTOP.

2nd LOOK AT CHARTER PLAN: The state Board of Education has asked Montgomery County to take a second look at a new charter school proposal and articulate more fully its objections to it, Jenna Johnson reports for the Post.

HOCO HOTEL TAX: Howard County’s state legislators are struggling to decide if the county’s hotel room tax should rise to 7% from 5%, even though hotel owners are supporting it as a way to raise money for tourism and business promotion, writes the Sun’s Larry Carson. Some elected officials worry about raising the rates in what they see as an anti-tax political climate.

GRAFFITI FINES: Two Baltimore County lawmakers seek to double the fines for graffiti, following incidents in Perry Hall, the Sun’s Raven Hill reports.

DEL. SZELIGA: Del. Kathy Szeliga of Harford County may have an easier time than most newly elected lawmakers in adjusting to her new job in Annapolis. She worked for former state Sen. Andy Harris as a legislative aide. The Dagger offers up her newsletter.

CITY DISTRICTING: Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is set to unveil her proposed council redistricting map for the city today, Julie Scharper reports for the Sun.

OFFICIALS STUMPED: State and local elected officials come up short of explanations of why and how an East Baltimore development project gets millions of federal dollars every year, Joan Jacobson and Melody Simmons report for the Daily Record. The community is known as Middle East, which some people want to change.